The Box and Packaging
Inside the box, you’ll find the instruction manual, software setup guide, an ASRock postcard, drivers disc, 2 packs of SATA data cables, a hex screwdriver (for the M.2 heat shield/plate), 3 x M.2 screws for your SSDs and a wifi antenna for the Wifi 6.
The B550 Taichi Motherboard
The motherboard looks pretty amazing to be honest. You get that iconic clockwork cog design which you’ll find on all Taichi motherboards. You’ll also find a full cover heat shield/plate for the Ultra/Hyper M.2 SSD slots, but unlike the X570, there’s no active cooling fan for the chipset.
The large heatsinks for the mofets/VRMs matches perfectly with the motherboard’s colour scheme, and the layout of the motherboard’s components seem to be flawless.
There’s also a solid metal backplate which helps to strengthens the motherboard and to prevent bending caused by heavy coolers or graphics cards.
A Closer Look
The motherboard absolutely packed with an insane amount of features. Take for example … you get 8 x SATA ports, 3 x PCIE 4.0 x16 steel slots, 2 x PCIE 3.0 x1 slots, 1 x Ultra M.2 slot, 1 x Hyper M.2 slots for SSDs (covered my a full coverage heatsink), as well as onboard diagnostic LEDs, and buttons for clear CMOS, power on/off and reset.
For the rear I/O panel, there’s a clear CMOS, BIOS flashback button, 2 wifi antenna connectors, DisplayPort, HDMI, 6 x USB 3.1, 2 x USB 3.2 (both Type-A and Type-C Thunderbolt 3). There’s also the Intel 2.5GB ethernet LAN, and the usual array of connectors for 7.1 HD audio.
